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Guyo-Grade 11
This is true of our problems as well. While a giraffe is worried about immediate problems like avoiding lions and
seeking shelter from a storm, many of the problems humans worry about are problems of the future.
For example, while bouncing around the savanna in your Jeep, you might think, “This safari has been a lot of fun. It
would be cool to work as a park ranger and see giraffes every day. Speaking of work, is it time for a career change?
Am I really doing the work I was meant to do? Should I change jobs?”
Unfortunately, living in a Delayed Return Environment tends to lead to chronic stress and anxiety for humans. Why?
Because your brain wasn't designed to solve the problems of a Delayed Return Environment.
Before we talk about how to get started, I wanted to let you know I discuss this topic in more depth in my book,
Atomic Habits. If you're interested in this topic (and learning how to build better habits and break bad ones), check it
out.
The earliest remains of modern humans, known as Homo sapiens sapiens, are approximately two hundred thousand
years old. These were the first humans to have a brain relatively similar to ours. In particular, the neocortex—the
newest part of the brain and the region responsible for higher functions like language—was roughly the same size
Moctar M. Guyo-Grade 11
two hundred thousand years ago as today. You are walking around with the same hardware as your Paleolithic
ancestors.
Compared to the age of the brain, modern society is incredibly new. It is only recently—during the last 500 years or
so—that our society has shifted to a predominantly Delayed Return Environment. The pace of change has increased
exponentially compared to prehistoric times. In the last 100 years we have seen the rise of the car, the airplane, the
television, the personal computer, the Internet, and Beyonce. Nearly everything that makes up your daily life has
been created in a very small window of time.
A lot can happen in 100 years. From the perspective of evolution, however, 100 years is nothing. The modern human
brain spent hundreds of thousands of years evolving for one type of environment (immediate returns) and in the blink
of an eye the entire environment changed (delayed returns). Your brain was designed to value immediate returns.
Thousands of years ago, when humans lived in an Immediate Return Environment, stress and anxiety were useful
emotions because they helped us take action in the face of immediate problems.
For example:
A lion appears across the plain > you feel stressed > you run away > your stress is relieved.
A storm rumbles in the distance > you worry about finding shelter > you find shelter > your anxiety is relieved.
You haven't drunk any water today > you feel stressed and dehydrated > you find water > your stress is relieved.
This is how your brain evolved to use worry, anxiety, and stress. Anxiety was an emotion that helped protect humans
in an Immediate Return Environment. It was built for solving short-term, acute problems. There was no such thing as
chronic stress because there aren't really chronic problems in an Immediate Return Environment.
Wild animals rarely experience chronic stress. As Duke University professor Mark Leary put it, “A deer may be
startled by a loud noise and take off through the forest, but as soon as the threat is gone, the deer immediately calms
down and starts grazing. And it doesn't appear to be tied in knots the way that many people are.” When you live in an
Immediate Return Environment, you only have to worry about acute stressors. Once the threat is gone, the anxiety
subsides.
Today we face different problems. Will I have enough money to pay the bills next month? Will I get the promotion at
work or remain stuck in my current job? Will I repair my broken relationship? Problems in a Delayed Return
Environment can rarely be solved right now in the present moment.
What to Do About It
One of the greatest sources of anxiety in a Delayed Return Environment is the constant uncertainty. There is no
guarantee that working hard in school will get you a job. There is no promise that investments will go up in the future.
There is no assurance that going on a date will land you a soulmate. Living in a Delayed Return Environment means
you are surrounded by uncertainty.
Moctar M. Guyo-Grade 11
So what can you do? How can you thrive in a Delayed Return Environment that creates so much stress and anxiety?
The first thing you can do is measure something. You can't know for certain how much money you will have in
retirement, but you can remove some uncertainty from the situation by measuring how much you save each month.
You can't be sure that you'll get a job after graduation, but you can track how often you reach out to companies about
internships. You can't predict when you find love, but you can pay attention to how many times you introduce yourself
to someone new.
The act of measurement takes an unknown quantity and makes it known. When you measure something, you
immediately become more certain about the situation. Measurement won't magically solve your problems, but it will
clarify the situation, pull you out of the black box of worry and uncertainty, and help you get a grip on what is actually
happening.
Furthermore, one of the most important distinctions between an Immediate Return Environment and a Delayed
Return Environment is rapid feedback. Animals are constantly getting feedback about the things that cause them
stress. As a result, they actually know whether or not they should feel stressed. Without measurement you have no
feedback.
If you're looking for good measurement strategies, I suggest using something simple like The Paper Clip Strategy for
tracking repetitive, daily actions and something like The Seinfeld Strategy for tracking long-term behaviors.
Instead of worrying about living longer, focus on taking a walk each day.
Instead of worrying about whether your child will get a college scholarship, focus on how much time they spend
studying today.
Instead of worrying about losing enough weight for the wedding, focus on cooking a healthy dinner tonight.
The key insight that makes this strategy work is making sure your daily routine both rewards you right away
(immediate return) and resolves your future problems (delayed return).
Writing. When I publish an article, the quality of my life is noticeably higher. Additionally, I know that if I write
consistently, then my business will grow, I will publish books, and I will make enough money to sustain my life. By
focusing my attention on writing each day, I increase my well-being (immediate return) while also working toward
earning future income (delayed return).
Lifting. I experienced a huge shift in well-being when I learned to fall in love with exercise. The act of going to the
gym brings joy to my life (immediate return) and it also leads to better long-term health (delayed return).
Reading. Last year, I posted my public reading list and began reading 20 pages per day. Now, I get a sense of
accomplishment whenever I do my daily reading (immediate return) and the practice helps me develop into an
interesting person (delayed return).
Our brains didn't evolve in a Delayed Return Environment, but that's where we find ourselves today. My hope is that
by measuring the things that are important to you and shifting your worry to daily practices that pay off in the long-
run, you can reduce some of the uncertainty and chronic stress that is inherent in modern society.
Moctar M. Guyo-Grade 11